Nocturne of Shadow
by Julian Amsel
Summary: One's eyes can tell so much about a person... their feelings, their mind.. and if they can truly call their soul their own. (third and final part of the Demonsong triad)


Author's notes: Well, here it is, the third and final part of my Demonsong triad. It's about time, eh? ^_^ Any way, I'm not really sure what to say about this fic. At first I thought it sucked, but after I re-read it I decided it wasn't _too_ bad.... cheezy, as is usual with my Jyoushiro fics, but not TOO bad. Eh heh. ^_^ Oh, just figure it out for yourself... 

"Nocturne of Shadow" 

It was night, like so many times before. Koushiro lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. For days, he had avoided sleep.... and always, he had failed. The dreams continued to haunt him, the demon continued to plague him... no matter what he did, no matter what he tried, he could not be rid of this bizarre apparition which tormented him while he slept.   
...Thank the gods for Jyou's love....   
.....Thank the gods that he was there, to listen, though he did not truly believe....   
....For, if Koushiro did not have Jyou.....   
....then he would not have life, either.   
Koushiro closed his eyes, and tried to bring the image of Jyou into his mind. The thought of the sweet, gentle blue-haired teen was so much more pleasant than the thought of the demon... but, still, it did not comfort him.   
Down the hall, he could hear the voices of his mother and father. Their voices were soft, soothing.. and so, he listened, hoping it would calm his nerves.   
  
"Love... did you notice that Koushiro has been acting rather odd lately?"   
"....Yes..... I have..... What do you think is going on?"   
"I don't know... but, really, honey.... he's been rather strange.. I thought that since we're going to be out of the city for a few days, maybe we should leave him at home to sort things out."   
"Home alone? What are you talking about?! He's not old enough-"   
"I didn't mean home alone.... I thought that perhaps his friend Jyou could stay over while we're gone. He's older, and responsible.... and don't you think it would be for the best? Koushiro seems so comfortable around him..."   
"Well... you're right... maybe it would be the best idea. Our Koushiro is really too stressed for traveling now... and there's nothing I'd like more than to return and find out that he is happier than he was."   
"Yes...... yes. It's for the best. We'll tell him in the morning..... oyasumi, love."   
"Oyasumi...." 

Koushiro smiled. His parents always seemed to know what would make him happy.... truly, he did not wish to go with them on their weekend trip to Osaka... silently, he thanked the gods that they knew him so well. And deep inside, he also was thankful that they didn't know about his relationship with Jyou.   
.....it was going to be the best weekend of his life..... 

Morning came slowly, calmly, sweetly. Koushiro had spent the night laying awake, going through files on his laptop. Some hadn't been opened ever since school had let out for summer vacation.... and it wasn't really necessary that he check them. But anything to stay awake... though, it wasn't as if he would have been able to sleep any way. Gods, Koushiro thought. Tomorrow night.... he and Jyou would be home.. alone... no parents, nothing of the sort. The very thought had been his main reason for staying up all night.... he would rather have such sweet feelings inside him than have them removed by the dreams.   
"Koushiro? Can I come in?"   
Koushiro nearly jumped at the sound of his mother's voice. "Yeah... sure," he replied shakily, as he sat up in bed and shut off his laptop. "What is it?"   
"Koushiro, dear, I'd like to talk to you about our trip to Osaka...," his mother said softly as she opened the door and stepped in, smiling slightly at how immaculately clean her son's room was. "Your father and I were talking last night, and we were thinking that maybe you'd rather stay home, hmm?"   
"But.... I thought you were really looking forward to the trip," Koushiro said slowly. Now I'll know if it was really just my imagination, he thought.   
His mother nodded, her smile growing wider. "Yes... I was. But, you see... we decided that this time, you can stay home by yourself... provided that you have Jyou stay over with you, and that you be careful to look after everything."   
"Really? You mean that?"   
"Yes, of course," his mother said softly. "After all, you aren't a little boy any more, and besides.... you haven't seemed like yourself lately. We thought maybe you'd enjoy some time alone with your friend.."   
So it wasn't a dream, Koushiro thought. It's real, it's all real.... "Thanks, mom," he whispered. "You're right, I haven't been feeling well lately... this just might do the trick."   
"All right then! I'll go tell your father that you like the idea." And with that, she was gone...   
"Gods," Koushiro muttered, falling back onto his pillow. "Maybe things are finally going to be all right..."   
But inside, he knew it wasn't so. He could hear it, feel it in the air..... there was something odd about. Something was going to go wrong.... As a chilly draft brushed its ice-cold fingers across his skin, he could hear the voice of the dreaded one, the one from his dreams.... "Things are not always the way they appear." 

The day passed by faster than Koushiro had expected..... and soon, so very soon, it gave way to evening. Koushiro sat in his room, breathing in the cool, crisp air from the window. It wouldn't be long before his parents would leave.... and it wouldn't be long before he was alone, truly alone with Jyou.   
Koushiro allowed his eyes to close, a smile dancing across his lips. Ah! Jyou.... such a perfect thought. The only one who could reach into his heart... the only one who could help him fight his nightmares. The red head shuddered. Nightmares.. nightmares which didn't want to be fought. Nightmares which wanted to stay within his soul forever, though he wished they would just leave him...   
"Koushiro! Jyou is here!"   
The sudden sound of his mother's voice caused Koushiro to gasp in surprise. "Er.... just a sec! I'll be right there!" he called, delight welling up inside him. Tonight, everything is going to be all right, Koushiro thought. Tonight... you won't have to worry.   
Moments after he left the room, a soft blue light began to glow in the darkness. A whisper, like a zephyr in light rain.... "Your spirit is mine..." 

"Okay, Koushiro, sweetie, we'll be off now," Koushiro's mother said as she fussed over her son, handing him a folder full of emergency numbers and such things. "Now, you know the regular numbers, and you have your dad's cell phone number if you need anything, and don't be afraid to call us! Oh, and if you run out of money for pizza you can always ask Ms. Yee next store, and-"   
"Mom, calm down!" Koushiro laughed, shaking his head. "We'll be fine! You'll only be gone two days, so just go an enjoy yourself."   
A smile crossed Mrs. Izumi's face. "Yes, I guess you're right. I'm sure you'll be fine..." She kissed his cheek and grinned, winking. "Bye, sweetie... don't blow up the apartment while we're away, all right?" And in a flash, she was gone.   
Koushiro sighed. Sometimes, his mother acted as if she had been drinking a little too much coffee... but, still, he knew that she only acted that way out of concern. It had seemed to be even more so lately, due to his dreams....But, for two days... she wouldn't need to worry. Everything was going to be all right...   
He stepped into the sitting room and smiled when he saw his blue-haired lover sprawled on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling as if he was contemplating the tiny bumps in the plaster.   
"Having fun?" Koushiro asked, taking a seat next to him.   
"I am... now that you're here," Jyou replied, cracking a smile. And so it began.... 

The lights were dim, the room only lit by the soft glow of the television screen. Koushiro sighed happily, and rested his head against Jyou's chest. It was nearly the midnight hour, and they had been sitting on the sofa all night, wrapped in each other's arms as they watched cheesy old science fiction movies. It was prefect... very nearly perfect.   
As the credits for the last movie ended, Koushiro was quite ready to fall asleep. After all, he hadn't had a good night's sleep in quite a while... and, it was rather late... but, still, he could see Jyou searching through his duffle bag as if he was looking for just one more.   
"What're you looking for?" Koushiro asked, yawning slightly. "I thought we watched all the ones you brought.."   
"I thought so too," Jyou replied as he rummaged through is bag. "But I just remembered... I have one more. It's an anime that Shin taped... he said it was awesome. And, well, I think you'll like it.... he said the characters reminded him of us." Smiling, he removed one last tape from his bag. "I don't know what it's called... the label is scratched out. But we'll give it a try.."   
"Yeah.. let's," Koushiro murmured sleepily. As he watched Jyou pop the tape into the VCR, a sudden chill ran down his spine. Was that a blue light he had seen, circling the room like a firefly? 

As he stared sleepily at the screen, Koushiro had to admit that it was quite good... and, indeed, Jyou was right. The story of the young spirit-chaser and his gay lover did indeed remind him of himself and Jyou... and, still, reminded him of how lucky he was. But....   
...but...   
... there was one thing....   
....just one thing....   
A demon. That's what it was. A demon, exactly like the one which haunted him in his dreams. As he watched her terrorize and torture the spirit-chaser, Koushiro could only cringe as the fears came back to him. The laugh.... the dark, evil laugh of the one from his dreams... he could hear it, high and shrill in his ears. She had said she would destroy the both of them... the thought chilled him to the bone.   
Soon.. he wasn't able to stand it. "Jyou," Koushiro cried softly, voice cracking slightly. "Shut it off.... please... I.." He could feel hot tears welling up in his eyes. "Jyou..."   
Jyou froze. What was wrong? He, much like Koushiro, had thought this night would be wonderful, free of Koushiro's stress and fear... but what could be wrong this time? "Shh, Kou-chan," he whispered as he held the younger boy close, pausing to reach for the remote to turn off the tv. "What's wrong?" His eyes were full of concern, and for a moment Koushiro stared into them, mesmerized. He had always found them to be beautiful, but now realized that they were like his own... black, colourless, void of any sort of glitter or sparkle. For a moment, there was a glimmer of hope...   
Swallowing hard, Koushiro reached to his lover's glasses and lifted them from his face, despite Jyou's cries of protest. He had to know, had to see if what he thought to be true was indeed reality... 

....And yet... his heart was frozen when he truly looked upon his lover's eyes, for they were not like his own.... When they did not look through the frames, they had colour, they had spark, they had spirit. They were glittering blue orbs, nearly black, filled with love and warmth.....they weren't the eyes of one who could no longer call his soul his own.   
Tears falling from his eyes, he replaced his lover's glasses, cringing slightly and he saw Jyou's confused expression.   
"What's wrong, Koushiro?" his lover asked, voice soft and concerned. The cool feeling in the air was increasing...   
"It's the demon, Jyou..," Koushiro cried, burying his face in Jyou's sweater. "She's here... I know she's here.... Oh, Jyou.. please don't let her find me..."   
Jyou arched an eyebrow. It was like the nights before, when Koushiro had been so afraid... but demons? Figments of his imagination? So illogical.... "It's all right, Koushiro," Jyou murmured, holding him closer. "I'm here for you. But you have to realize.. the demon only exists because you let her exist. You can just forget about the demon, and she'll disappear..."   
He doesn't believe me! Koushiro thought. He thinks it's all in my head, that it's my imagination! The thought filled his with a sorrow. To think, that the only one he thought he could count on... didn't truly believe him... It was unthinkable! He needed him to believe.... and so, he would speak.   
"Jyou," Koushiro said softly, voice shaking. "I'm going to tell you a story, about something that happened to me a long, long time ago. Something which changed me.... forever."   
And so, he told the tale of spirits....   
  
:::::: It happened many years ago, when I was very young. At the time, I was a very quiet person, distant from other people my age. I had no friends, no people I could talk to...... this is my story. ::::::: 

A young Koushiro stared out his bedroom window, sighing slightly as he looked at the streets below. He wouldn't go out.... he couldn't go out. For, what would he do? Where would he go? There was no where he could run... And, besides, it was pointless. He had a good place here, though his "parents" had lied to him.... Though, deep in his heart, he knew there was more to life than books and computers.   
"Why don't the other kids like me?" he wondered aloud, tears welling up in his eyes. "Why won't they talk to me?" Shining black eyes, filled with life, were also filled with sadness and loneliness. "Why.... why won't they be my friends?"   
"Friends... friends....," came a whisper, as soft as an owl's wings in the night. "Friends..."   
Startled, Koushiro wiped his eyes and looked about the room. "What...... who's there?" he whispered, glittering obsidian eyes wide. "Who's there?"   
Slowly, gradually, a gentle blue light filled the room, accompanied by an icelike draft. The light transformed into a cloud of vapour, much like one's breath on a winter morning. As he watched, Koushiro shivered... not simply because of the cold, but because of a chilling, bizarre feeling, like someone with cold hands brushing their fingers up and down his spine.   
In a moment, there was a flash of blue light and the vapour solidified into the form of a young girl, of Koushiro's age. She sat cross-legged on his dresser, cold blue eyes staring with an odd light at the young boy. Truly, everything about her was blue, from the colour of her flesh to her hair to the dress she wore. She said nothing, merely cast her strange gaze at him, as if she were considering something deep within her mind.   
"Who are you?" Koushiro whispered, staring back at her. She was unlike any person he had ever seen before... unlike anything he had ever seen in his dreams, as well. "Why are you here?"   
The girl blinked, and looked confused for a brief moment. "I have no name," she whispered, her voice like slowflakes on a river. "And I do not have any friends either, though I want one with all my heart. You seemed like you needed a friend..."   
"I......" Koushiro stammered, swallowing slightly. "Yes... I do." He did not know what to make of this strange girl... Indeed, she seemed strange, like the faeries he had read about in books. However, she was kind.... and like himself, needed someone.   
The girl tilted her head and smiled sadly at him, eyes sparkling slightly. "You will be my friend? That is good... whenever I ask people to be my friend, they turn me away..... because I need someone more than any other would expect me to..."   
"What.... do you mean?" he whispered. This girl.... though there was something strange about her, she was nice enough.... and Koushiro was willing to help her, though he had just met her. In fact, he was beginning to like her.... despite the chill he got from being around her.   
"I mean...." She slid off the desk and stepped toward him, pausing a moment before she leaned down close to him. Her breath was like ice, and it caused Koushiro to shudder. "I am not like you. I.... can never be like you." And having said that, she reached out to touch him.... and her hand passed easily through his flesh, as if she were made of nothing but air.   
Koushiro's eyes went wide and he drew his hand away, staring at her in shock. "What are you?" he whispered, eyes filled with fear. "Are you a ghost?"   
For a moment, the strange girl's eyes were filled with sadness. "So you are like all the others... you are afraid of me. I have done nothing to you, and yet you look at me as if I am a threat. Why?"   
I hurt her feelings, Koushiro thought. I did to her what the others did to me... "You just startled me, that's all," he said slowly, softly, being sure not to seem as if he wished her to disappear, though somehow he felt that she thought his mind was thinking something such as that. "I'm just not used to seeing people like you. But... what exactly are you?"   
"..... I am a demon," she whispered, deep blue eyes staring at him. "One who must inhabit another person's body in order to live. Please... I need you to be my friend... I haven't much time left before I will disappear..." She trailed off, eyes welling up with tears. 

Koushiro frowned, staring up at this creature which called herself a demon. He had heard of these people, these demons... but until now had thought them to be only creatures from stories, nothing more. They were supposed to be evil, ruthless killers, who sucked out your soul and ate away at your spirit.... not young girls with blue skin, who came to you asking to be your friend.   
"Don't worry... I'll be your friend," Koushiro whispered, still rather unsure of what to make of this creature. "I don't mind being around you... and I'm not afraid of you. I need you as much as you need me... so, why shouldn't we be together?"   
The demon's tears ceased falling, and she stared at him quivering in shock. "You... don't want me to go away?" she asked softly, wiping her eyes on the cuff of her sleeve. "You aren't afraid I'll take away your soul or something stupid like that?"   
Koushiro shook his head, unable to stop himself from smiling. "Nah..... you're nice, not like other kids I know. I like you... and if you need to share my body, I don't mind if you do.... it'll be nice having someone to talk to."   
For a moment, the demon seemed as if she was in shock. She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly. "This is the first time anyone has ever said something like that to me..."   
"Well, then... maybe it's time someone did. Come on... do what you have to do." Having said this simple request, the young boy closed his eyes, waiting. He was not sure what he was waiting for, really... and so, he was not ready for the feeling which overcame him.   
It was an odd, cold feeling, much like the one you get when someone spills ice water over your head. It was the feeling of your heart being torn in two.... of looking into another's mind. He shivered, and gasped as he felt his very soul merge with that of the demon. And then there was a pain... a sharp, freezing pain, which surged through his blood and gripped his heart.   
"Demon.. wha... what're you doing?!" he gasped, clutching at his chest. The demon laughed from inside his head, her voice mocking.   
"You little fool," she murmured, voice like ice in his mind. "Did you not learn to listen to common sense, hmm? Did no one tell you that you shouldn't let out your soul to strangers?"   
"But.. I thought you said you would be my friend!" Koushiro whispered, shocked. A wave of emotion filled his mind, but only one thought was dominant... he had to get rid of this spirit. He had to....   
"Oh, don't worry, little one... I will be your friend," came the voice of the demon, calm and cold. "I will be your friend... forever and ever. And the first person you give your heart to... they will fall to me. I will kill them... and I will kill you."   
Eyes flew wide, tears welling up in them in fear. "No.... please, don't! I-"   
"You don't have a choice. You are mine, Koushiro- mine! And you will damn well learn to like it."   
As the voice faded away, the light within the room dimmed and the feeling of cold disintegrated. As sweet, young tears fell from the eyes of the boy, all that remained was a whisper on the wind.... "I have a name..... my name is Kikyou.. And you are mine... you will always be mine." 

:::: For years, Kikyou stayed within my mind, silent.... until I lost my heart. Now, she's back..... and out for blood. And there's nothing... nothing I can do to be rid of her.::: 

Hot tears spilled down his cheeks, and he hardly even thought of brushing them away. "She's here, Jyou," Koushiro whispered. "She's here.... even though she's inside me, her presence is in the room.. she's going to break out, she's going to kill me... oh, Jyou!" Though he was wrapped in his lover's arms, he felt an ice-cold draft touch his skin. He could hear her laughing within his own mind.. that cold, cruel laugh...   
Warm lips touched his cheek, and a soft voice whispered, "Don't worry, Koushiro... I believe you now... and I won't let anything happen to you. Together, we're greater than any demon... I'll find a way to destroy her. And if I can't.... then at least we'll enter the afterlife together, hn?"   
He believes me, Koushiro thought in a rush. I finally got through to him... he finally sees the danger we're in. "Y.. yes," he whispered, sighing. "But what can we do? I don't know how to defeat her... I don't even know if she CAN be defeated. I don't know what to do, Jyou.... I've been struggling with her for so long, I feel as if I'm ready to surrender...."   
A kind, gentle hand brushed his tears away, and soft words rang out in the darkness. "Don't worry about it," Jyou whispered. "I'll find a way... I think I know what to do. But for now... just go to sleep, my Koushiro. I'll defend you from Kikyou.. I promise you, with all my heart. I won't let your spirit be defeated...."   
...Soon, the young boy slipped into sleep, lulled by the soft words of his lover. The demon heard them too, and within the body of her captive she mentally sneered. To think such a thing was like throwing your heart beneath a swinging blade..... 

Jyou sighed as he carried his love to his bedroom, being sure to step slowly so that he would not wake the boy. He truly didn't know what had gotten into Koushiro lately.... soul-snatchers? Demons? Supernatural beings out to kill him? Indeed, it was a rather disturbing thought, that someone who was so calm and logical could change into someone fearful of things that did not exist. Whatever had happened in his childhood to cause such a fear, a fear which would only surface now.... it must have been quite a thing. But it was, most definitely, something real and physical... NOT demons.   
I know what I'll do tomorrow, he thought as he lay his love on the bed and pulled a quilt over him. I'll tell him that I found Kourin or Kikyou or whatever the demon's name is..... and I'll tell him I killed her. Maybe then he'll feel all right... maybe, just maybe, things will go back to normal.   
Truly, the thought of lying to his love filled him with guilt... but, what could he do? Surely, if Koushiro was in his right mind, he would understand.....   
"Gods," he muttered, collapsing into Koushiro's computer chair. "What I wouldn't give for this to be over...." And he closed his eyes, hoping against all hopes that he would somehow get some sleep before the night was over. 

In the darkness of the room, something stirred. Perhaps it was nothing, merely a shadow... or perhaps it was a simple trick of the light. But, most shadows are not a pure, piercing shade of blue, and and even less radiate waves of evil as this one did......   
As if she had been there the whole time merely waiting to be noticed, Kikyou appeared, sitting on the edge of Koushiro's bed and looking down at him as if she were a concerned family member. Her eyes glittered with a dangerous light as she grinned and reached out to touch his cheek, caressing it as if she had no thoughts of destruction on her mind.   
"So.... you told him our story, Koushiro," she whispered, voice like mist on a river. "Have you no sense? Do you not realize that no matter what you try, he will never believe you? He's as much of a fool as you are.... always has been, and always will be." She smiled, a hideous, twisted smile. "However, I like fools. Ones such as you and your lover are so easy to manipulate..." And even easier to destroy, she thought as she slid off the bed and made her way to Jyou. Tonight.. tonight would be the night that she would take their lives and souls.   
For a moment she stared silently at the sleeping teen, watching, wondering what dreams he could possibly be dreaming. Were they sweet dreams of his love, dreams of his life, or both? Perhaps. Kikyou smirked as she thought... certainly they were not the dreams that Koushiro was dreaming on this cold night. She had made quite sure of that...   
"Ah, your souls are mine to claim.... will yours taste as sweet as your lover's will?" she mused as she caressed Jyou's cheek, smiling as she saw how though he was sleeping he cringed at her cold touch. "We shall soon see.." smiling, she kissed him, gently and coldly, eyes twinkling like stars as she felt his pure, sweet life force drain into her own bitter heart. 

Eyes opened wide, swept from a land of dreams. Jyou gasped and pulled away from the demon, breathing heavily. He could hardly believe what it was that he saw before him, and blinked rapidly, wondering if he could still possibly be asleep. The demon, if indeed she was a demon, simply smiled at him as an aura of cold enveloped the room.   
"It's no use trying to deny that I am here, Jyou," she whispered, still smiling. "I am as real as you are... and I see your spirit. You needn't worry, Jyou... it will only take a minute for you two to surrender your souls. And then.. you can be together.. forever."   
As real as you are... as real as you are.... the words echoed in his head. Can this even be possible? Can this be happening? But though his mind questioned, his heart knew that what he saw was real, and that what his love had said had been the truth. This was indeed a supernatural spirit, be it a demon or a ghost or a dark faerie.... and its intentions were destruction.   
"Wh.. what do you want?" he stammered nervously, swallowing hard. "Why do you want to kill us?" Indeed.. he desperately had to know. He had to discover a way to defeat it, had to think about the simplest way.. the possible way... and the more time he stalled, the better.   
Kikyou frowned. "What kind of question is that?" she snarled, eyes flashing. "Does a mouse ask a cat why it is doing what it does, before the cat's claws are deep within its flesh? No. So, tell me... why should my own prey ask that of me?" She laughed, closing her eyes. "You are a stupid, stupid human... that is why I wish to kill you. Because you deny my very existence... that should be enough of a reason. But, still... it is your very existence which drives me to destroy you."   
Jyou frowned. She wasn't at all making sense... what sort of reason was that, to kill someone? "Do you know what I think?" he whispered calmly, looking up into her eyes and hoping that what he said would have a positive effect on her. "I think that you don't know what you're talking about. I think that maybe.. you are just making up a reason, in order to shut me up and kill me. I think that maybe.... maybe... maybe you are just a heartless fool, and that you torture Koushiro because you get enjoyment from it. That's what I think." 

Kikyou's eyes raged with fury and she shot out at him, digging her nails into his shoulder. "You don't know what you're talking about," she hissed into his ear, her cold breath causing him to cringe. "Truly, that IS part of it... but there is more, so much more." She laughed, but somehow her voice seemed somewhat strained. "However.. you won't live long enough to hear it." For a moment, she pulled away.... in a flash, Jyou wondered 'is she leaving? Is she reconsidering?' but his hopes were shattered when she nodded to the sleeping youth.   
"Wake him up," she hissed, pointing to Koushiro. "I want him to be awake to see this. I want to hear your screams mix with his... wake him up." Her tone suggested that if he didn't do as she ordered, something much worse than what she had in mind would happen.   
Heart pounding in his chest, Jyou obeyed her. Every part of his heart screamed that he shouldn't be doing this, but still his brain screamed back that he should, though it seemed incredibly illogical. Perhaps... perhaps... perhaps... perhaps there was a way out... a way to overcome her..   
"Kou-chan.... wake up, Kou-chan," he whispered, touching his love's shoulder. "Please... you have to wake up..." But the younger boy gave no reply, merely carried on with his dreaming. Jyou felt beads of sweat form upon his forehead. There was nothing he could do... she would destroy the both of them. No way... but he had to try and think of something, anything. He wouldn't go down without a fight...   
And then, it was revealed to him. One way... the only way he could save Koushiro. The only way his love would survive... even if he disappeared in the end.   
"Kikyou," he whispered as he turned away from his lover to face the demon. He could feel himself shivering, trembling with fear of what may be but still he persisted, knowing that this was for the best. "Koushiro told me.. that you need to inhabit the body of a mortal in order to truly live, and that you feed off their heart and energy. Is that true?"   
The deep blue eyes of the demon known as Kikyou narrowed into a suspicious glare. "Yes... it is true. But, what do you care? You will be gone in a moment any way.."   
Jyou closed his eyes, and gathered his courage. "Perhaps I will," he murmured as he knelt before the demon. "But, please... I beg of you... take my soul, take my body... do whatever you wish to me... but do not harm my Koushiro." 

Kikyou frowned. This boy was a fool.. what kind of person would give up their life like that? It was illogical, unthinkable... but there it was, obvious as light in the day. And besides... it was true that she needed a body to live in, to slowly suck the life from... it was true that she needed a WILLING spirit... And there one was. But still, it was rather ridiculous... what kind of idiot would give up their own life just to save someone else?   
"You are willing to give up your soul for that little brat?" She whispered, tone wavering and uncertain. "You're willing to give up everything, even your mind, soul and body.... just for that little fool, that little brat who couldn't see the truth?"   
"Yes, Kikyou," the boy replied, voice soft. He never looked at her, merely kept his eyes upon the floor.... It disturbed the demon, though she truly didn't know why. "I am willing to give it up, if you promise to leave my Koushiro alone, and never return to him."   
The demon smiled. Perhaps, she thought silently... perhaps this will indeed be of some use to me. I need not heed his words, after I claim his soul... for after I do, he will be completely powerless to control my actions. And so, I will have him.. and the brat to boot.   
Without a word, she stepped to him and dug her nails into the flesh of his shoulder, releasing the power which had allowed her to claim Koushiro's body for so long. She cold feel the pain, feel the fear within her victim... it pressed her, drove her to complete the job, filled her with the urge to make it as painful as possible before her spirit would be within his body and he would be hers. The room was filled with cold drafts, icy as north winds. They were her own spirit, coming, calling....   
It only took a moment, a slice of time, but it felt like an eternity. Soon, very soon, the cold washed away... and then there were two. 

Kikyou opened her eyes, heart pounding in her chest. Something was not right... something was certainly not right. Trembling, she looked down at her hands... they were indeed the hands of Jyou, as they should have been. The transformation had worked, certainly... she had claimed his body as easily as she had claimed Koushiro's so long ago... but what was wrong? This feeling of warmth, from deep within.... it was painful, so much unlike the cool feeling she had experienced for years when she had held the soul of a depressed child. It was real, it was magic.... it was like what she had felt within Koushiro's soul, only recently....   
She cringed. It was burning... she felt as if her skin was on fire. "What the hell is going on?!" she whispered, voice ragged. Something had gone wrong with the transformation, the infestation.... the soul now belonged to her, as did the body... but the mind was not submissive, the heart would not bow down to her, though by all rights it should have....   
What was this feeling, that brought her so much pain? She had felt it within Koushiro, and now Jyou.. when they were apart, it was like a painful thorn in her side but when they were together, it was a fire raging within her heart, catching her spirit and swallowing her within its flames. It was something she had never felt, until the two had met....   
Slowly, memories of the past came back to her. Words she had uttered to the young red-head, when she had first infested him... "The first person you give your heart to, they will fall to me and I will kill them," she whispered, remembering. The first person.... the first person....   
Kikyou let out a scream of rage, throwing herself upon the floor. Burning, burning! She was on fire! Oh what was this burning, that it would cause her such pain?   
"Damn you, tell me!" she screamed, both mentally and physically. "What is this?! What's happening?!" But the mind of Jyou gave no answer...   
Slowly, she felt herself collapse. Her soul.... her soul was melting from the heat, from the fire.... She could feel her mind and body detaching, with an incredibly painful force..... And for a brief moment, a thought crossed her mind. "Perhaps... the heart is stronger than the soul...." And then it dissolved into the flames.   
On that hot summer night, the bitter soul of the one known as Kikyou was no more... and so the souls she held in her hands were released from her icy grip. 

Morning came, and as the moon gave way to the sun and the night was prodded in the back by the day, thin shafts of sunlight filtered in through window panes and danced upon the eyelids of a sleeping youth, whose slumber had not been disturbed by the death of his greatest fear. His soul was finally at peace, finally at rest...   
Jyou lay sprawled on the floor, the battle of last night having eaten away at his energy. He had given it everything he had.... and in the end, he had won.   
Truly, he didn't really understand what had happened... only that whatever it was, whatever had happened that caused him to find the strength to beat Kikyou... it had only been made possible because of the love he and Koushiro shared.   
"Koushiro?" Jyou whispered as he stood, cringing as for a moment the blood rushed to his head and his vision darkened, blackness being the only thing he could see. In a moment his sight returned, brighter than ever... as if the last remnants of the demon's spirit were being cleared from his soul. "Koushiro..."   
Eyes fluttered open, eyes which were finally whole after years of having their soul repressed and leached. Sweet brown eyes, nearly black, which now glittered and twinkled like stars in the night sky.   
"You did it," Koushiro whispered, gently gripping his lover's hand. "She's gone..."   
"Yes.... and nothing like that will ever happen to you again... I'll be sure of it," Jyou murmured, kissing the younger boy's forehead. "I think we've gone through enough hell to last five lifetimes..." 

Time passed, things changed.... the two grew closer and closer every day. And though Kikyou had been a curse upon the both of them.... perhaps she had been a blessing as well. 


End file.
